Systems and methods for measurement solutions for inter-rat mo from lte mn in en-dc

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure enable a user equipment (UE) to performing inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) measurements. The UE determines whether one or more inter-RAT measurement object (MO) is configured with or without a measurement gap (MG). When the one or more inter-RAT MO is on an NR serving component carrier (CC) with the MG, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC based on whether the MG is fully overlapped or partially overlapped with synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of a target MO of the one or more inter-RAT MO. When the one or more inter-RAT MO is on the NR serving CC without the MG, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC based on whether a target SSB of the target MO is within or outside an active bandwidth part (BWP) of the NR serving CC.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to wireless communication systems,including performing inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) measurements.

BACKGROUND

Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards andprotocols to transmit data between a base station and a wireless mobiledevice. Wireless communication system standards and protocols caninclude the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long termevolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) or new radio (NR) (e.g., 5G); the Instituteof Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, which iscommonly known to industry groups as worldwide interoperability formicrowave access (WiMAX); and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wirelesslocal area networks (WLAN), which is commonly known to industry groupsas Wi-Fi. In 3GPP radio access networks (RANs) in LTE systems, the basestation can include a RAN Node such as a Evolved Universal TerrestrialRadio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as evolvedNode B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and/or Radio Network Controller(RNC) in an E-UTRAN, which communicate with a wireless communicationdevice, known as user equipment (UE). In fifth generation (5G) wirelessRANs, RAN Nodes can include a 5G Node, NR node (also referred to as anext generation Node B or g Node B (gNB)).

RANs use a radio access technology (RAT) to communicate between the RANNode and UE. RANs can include global system for mobile communications(GSM), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN),Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), and/or E-UTRAN,which provide access to communication services through a core network,such as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Each of the RANs operatesaccording to a specific 3GPP RAT. For example, the GERAN implements GSMand/or EDGE RAT, the UTRAN implements universal mobile telecommunicationsystem (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, the E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT, andNG-RAN implements 5G RAT. In certain deployments, the E-UTRAN may alsoimplement 5G RAT.

Frequency bands for 5G NR may be separated into two different frequencyranges. Frequency Range 1 (FR1) may include frequency bands operating insub-6 GHz frequencies, some of which are bands that may be used byprevious standards, and may potentially be extended to cover newspectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) mayinclude frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Bands in themillimeter wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have smaller coverage butpotentially higher available bandwidth than bands in the FR1. Skilledpersons will recognize these frequency ranges, which are provided by wayof example, may change from time to time or from region to region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, themost significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to thefigure number in which that element is first introduced.

FIG. 1 illustrates an EN-DC architecture according to embodimentsherein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a first example scenario with an LTE PCC in frequencylayer 1 and an NR PSCC in frequency layer 2 according to embodimentsherein.

FIG. 3A illustrates a fully overlapping case and FIG. 3B illustrates apartially overlapping case in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for a UE in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for a UE in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates an infrastructure equipment in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates a device in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates components in accordance with one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments are described with regard to a UE. However,reference to a UE is merely provided for illustrative purposes. Theexample embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component thatmay establish a connection to a network and is configured with thehardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange information and datawith the network. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used torepresent any appropriate electronic component.

A wireless network may configure a UE in a connected state to performmeasurements and report the measurement results according to ameasurement configuration. The measurement configuration may be providedby dedicated signaling. The measurement configuration may define, forexample, measurement objects, reporting configurations, measurementgaps, and other parameters. For each measurement type (e.g.,intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT), the measurementconfiguration may define one or more measurement object (MO). In NR,each MO may indicate frequency, timing, and subcarrier spacing ofreference signals to be measured. An MO may be configured forsynchronization signal blocks (SSB), channel state information referencesignal (CSI-RS), or both.

A UE may use measurement gaps to perform measurements when it cannotmeasure a target carrier frequency while simultaneouslytransmitting/receiving on a serving cell. In LTE, the UE usesmeasurement gaps to perform inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurements.In NR, the need for measurement gaps may depend on the capability of theUE, the active bandwidth part (BWP) of the UE, and/or the currentoperating frequency. Measurements gaps might be required forintra-frequency, inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurements. Unlike LTEintra-frequency measurements, intra-frequency measurements in NR mightrequire a measurement gap (MG) if, for example, the intra-frequencymeasurements are to be done outside of the active BWP.

During the measurement gaps, the measurements may be performed on SSBsof neighbor cells. The network provides the timing of neighbor cell SSBsusing a Synchronization Signal (SS)/Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH)Block Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC). The MG and SMTC durationare configured such that the UE can identify and measure the SSBs withinan SMTC window (i.e., the SMTC duration may be sufficient enough toaccommodate the SSBs that are being transmitted).

Depending on the UE capability to support independent frequency rangemeasurement and network preference, per-UE or per-FR measurement gapsare defined in NR. In per-FR MG, independent gap patterns (e.g., FR1 MGand FR2 MG) may be defined for FR1 and FR2. Per-UE MG applies to bothFR1 (E-UTRA and NR) and FR2 (NR) frequencies.

Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) is a generalization ofIntra-E-UTRA Dual Connectivity (DC), where a multiple receive(Rx)/transmit (Tx) capable UE may be configured to utilize resourcesprovided by two different nodes connected via non-ideal backhaul, oneproviding NR access and the other one providing either E-UTRA or NRaccess. One node may act as a Master Node (MN) and the other may act asa Secondary Node (SN). The MN and SN may be connected via a networkinterface, and at least the MN is connected to the core network. The MNand/or the SN may be operated with shared spectrum channel access.

One type of MR-DC deployment is E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC). Forexample, FIG. 1 illustrates an EN-DC architecture 100 according toembodiments herein. The EN-DC architecture 100 includes an E-UTRAN 124and an EPC 122. The E-UTRAN 124 supports MR-DC via EN-DC, in which a UEis connected to one eNB that acts as a MN and one en-gNB that acts as aSN. An en-gNB may be a node that provides NR user plane and controlplane protocol terminations towards the UE, and may act as an SN inEN-DC. In FIG. 1 , the EPC 122 may comprise one or more MobilityManagement Entity/Serving Gateways (MME/S-GWs), such as an MME/S-GW 104and an MME/S-GW 102. By way of example, the E-UTRAN 124 may comprise aneNB 110, an eNB 112, an en-gNB 108, and an en-gNB 106. Each of the eNB110 and the eNB 112 may be connected to the EPC 122 via one or more S1interfaces 114 and to one or more en-gNBs via one or more X2 interfaces118. Each of the en-gNB 108 and the en-gNB 106 may be connected to theEPC 122 via one or more S1-U interfaces 116. The en-gNB 108 and theen-gNB 106 may be connected to one another through an X2-U interface120.

In an LTE MN with NR SN in an EN-DC deployment, both the LTE MN and theNR SN may configure one or more measurement object (MO) to the UE via,e.g., radio resource control (RRC) signaling. In EN-DC, only per-FR1 MGor per-UE MG may be configured from the LTE MN and only per-FR2 MG maybe configured from the NR SN. Thus, certain operating scenarios maycreate uncertainties for whether inter-RAT measurements are to beperformed within the MG or outside the MG.

In a first example scenario, an LTE MN configures inter-RAT MO on an NRserving component carrier (CC) (e.g., an NR primary secondary CC (PSCC)or secondary CC (SCC)) in FR1, or in FR2 when the UE has only per-UE MGcapability. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates the first example scenario200 with an LTE primary CC (PCC) (shown as LTE PCC 202) in frequencylayer 1 and an NR PSCC 204 in frequency layer 2. In the illustratedexample, the primary cell (PCell) (i.e., the LTE MN) configuresinter-RAT NR MO with MG. However, the LTE MN is not aware of the currentactive BWP 206 of the NR serving cell on the NR serving CC (e.g., the NRPSCC 204 shown in FIG. 2 ). This may occur because, for example, theactive BWP 206 is switched or configured more dynamically than thecommunication between an MN and an SN in MR-DC. Thus, even though theLTE MN knows the configured NR MO is on the serving CC, whether a targetSSB 208 on the NR PSCC 204 is within the active BWP 206 or outside theactive BWP 206 will determine if the MG is needed or not.

When the LTE MN configures the inter-RAT MO with MG, or always with MG,as shown in the example of FIG. 2 , if the MG is partially overlappedwith the SSB of the target MO, and the UE determines that the targetSSBs are within the active BWP of its NR serving CC, the UE may beunable to determine whether to perform the inter-RAT measurement withinMG or outside MG.

By way of example, FIG. 3A illustrates a fully overlapping case 300 aand FIG. 3B illustrates a partially overlapping case 300 b according tocertain embodiments. In the fully overlapping case 300 a, the SMTCduration/periodicity and the measurement gap repetition period (MGRP)are configured such that the SSBs of the target MO are located in the MGoccasions.

In the partially overlapping case 300 b, some of the SSBs of the targetMO are located in the MG occasions and others are located outside the MGoccasions. FIG. 3B shows an example where a periodicity of an SMTC(shown as 20 ms) is half the duration of the MGRP (shown as 40 ms) suchthat one SMTC out of two cannot be used to measure the SSBs of thetarget MO.

In other cases of the first example scenario, the LTE MN configuresinter-RAT MO without MG. However, if the target SSB is not within theactive BWP of the NR serving CC, the UE needs MG to perform theinter-RAT measurement. Without the MG being configured in such cases,the UE does not know how to perform the measurements.

In a second example scenario, the LTE MN configures inter-RAT MO on anNR non-serving CC (e.g., NR CCs other than NR PSCC or SCC) in FR1, or inFR2 when UE has only per-UE MG capability. However, the LTE MN is notaware of the current active BWP of the NR serving cell on any NR servingCC. Thus, even though the LTE MN knows the configured NR MO is on thenon-serving CC, whether the target SSB is within the active BWP of onecertain NR CC will determine if MG is needed or not. When the LTE MNconfigures inter-RAT MO on the non-serving NR CC with MG, or always withMG, if the MG is partially overlapped with the SSB of the target MO(e.g., MGRP=40 ms and SMTC of SSB=20 ms), and if the UE determines thatthe target SSBs are within the active BWP of one of its NR serving CCs,the UE may be unable to determine whether perform the inter-RATmeasurement within MG or outside MG.

In a third example scenario, the LTE MN configures inter-RAT MO on an NRserving CC in FR2 and the UE supports per-FR MG. In such scenarios, theactive BWP on NR serving cell is unclear or is not timely updated to theLTE MN. However, if the LTE MN configured this inter-RAT MO without MG,the SN can decide if FR2 MG is needed or not because the SN is aware ofthe active BWP.

In a fourth example scenario, the LTE MN configures inter-RAT MO on anNR non-serving CC in FR2 and the UE supports per-FR MG. In suchscenarios, the active BWP on the NR serving cell is unclear or is nottimely updated to the LTE MN. However, if the LTE MN configured thisinter-RAT MO without MG, the SN can decide if FR2 MG is needed or notbecause the SN is aware of the active BWP.

Thus, certain embodiments herein provide solutions for the first andsecond example scenarios to perform inter-RAT measurements.

In certain embodiments for the first example scenario, a UE determineswhether the LTE MN configures the one or more inter-RAT MO with orwithout MG. When the LTE MN configures the one or more inter-RAT MO onthe NR serving CC with the MG, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurementon the NR serving CC based on whether the MG is fully overlapped orpartially overlapped with SSBs of a target MO of the one or moreinter-RAT MO. When the LTE MN configures the one or more inter-RAT MO onthe NR serving CC without the MG, the UE performs the inter-RATmeasurement on the NR serving CC based on whether a target SSB of thetarget MO is within or outside an active BWP of the NR serving CC.

As discussed above, in the first example scenario the LTE MN configuresinter-RAT MO on a NR serving CC (e.g., NR PSCC or SCC) in FR1, or in FR2when the UE has only per-UE MG capability. However, the LTE MN is notaware of the current active BWP of the NR serving cell on the NR servingCC (e.g., the active BWP is switched or configured more dynamically thanthe communication between MN and SN in MR-DC). In certain embodimentswhen the LTE MN configures inter-RAT MO with MG, or always with MG, ifthe MG is fully overlapped with the SSBs of the target MO (i.e., all theSSBs of the target MO are located in the MG occasions), the UE performsthe inter-RAT measurement on this NR serving CC within the MG regardlessof whether the active BWP can contain target SSB of this target MO ornot.

In one embodiment of the first example scenario when the LTE MNconfigures inter-RAT MO with MG (or always with MG), if the MG ispartially overlapped with the SSBs of the target MO (i.e., some of theSSBs of the target MO are located in the MG occasions and others arelocated outside the MG occasions), the UE performs the inter-RATmeasurement on this NR serving CC within MG regardless of whether theactive BWP can contain the target SSB of this target MO or not.

In another embodiment of the first example scenario when the LTE MNconfigures inter-RAT MO with MG (or always with MG, if the MG ispartially overlapped with the SSBs of the target MO, the network (e.g.,the LTE MN) sends an indication to the UE to either perform theinter-RAT measurement on this NR serving CC within MG or for the UE todetermine whether or not to perform the inter-RAT measurement on this NRserving CC within MG. If the indication from the network is for the UEperform the inter-RAT measurement on this NR serving CC within MG, theUE performs the inter-RAT measurement on this NR serving CC within MGregardless of whether the active BWP can contain target SSB of thistarget MO or not. If, however, the indication from the network is forthe UE to determine whether or not to perform the inter-RAT measurementon this NR serving CC within MG, the UE performs the inter-RATmeasurement on this NR serving CC within MG if the target SSB of targetMO is outside the active BWP of the serving CC, and the UE performs theinter-RAT measurement on this NR serving CC outside MG if the target SSBof target MO is inside the active BWP of the serving CC.

In another embodiment of the first example scenario when the LTE MNconfigures inter-RAT MO with MG (or always with MG), the UE performs theinter-RAT measurement on this NR serving CC within MG if the target SSBof target MO is outside the active BWP of the serving CC, and UEperforms the inter-RAT measurement on this NR serving CC outside MG ifthe target SSB of target MO is inside the active BWP of the serving CC.

In certain embodiments of the first example scenario, the network avoidsconfiguring the case where the MG is fully non-overlapped with the SSBsof the target MO (i.e., none of the SSBs of the target MO are located inthe MG occasions).

In certain embodiments of the first example scenario, when the LTE MNconfigures the one or more inter-RAT MO on the NR serving CC without theMG, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC basedon whether a target SSB of the target MO is within or outside an activeBWP of the NR serving CC. If the active BWP of the serving CC couldcontain the target SSB, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement onthis NR serving CC directly. If, however, the target SSB is outside theactive BWP of the serving CC, the UE requests MG configuration from theLTE MN (PCell). For example, the UE may send RRC, media access control(MAC) layer, or physical (PHY) layer signaling or indication to the LTEPCell to ask for MG configuration. The signaling or indication from theUE may indicate the MO index to the LTE PCell that needs the MGconfiguration. After receiving the request from the UE, the network mayconfigure the MG to the UE. Then, the UE may perform inter-RATmeasurement using one of the embodiments discussed above for the firstexample scenario when the LTE MN configures inter-RAT MO with MG.

As discussed above, in the second example scenario the LTE MN configuresinter-RAT MO on a NR non-serving CC (NR CCs other than NR PSCC or SCC)in FR1, or in FR2 when UE has only per-UE MG capability. However, theLTE MN is not aware of the current active BWP of the NR serving cell onany NR serving CC. In certain embodiments when the LTE MN configuresinter-RAT MO on the non-serving NR CC with MG (or always with MG), ifthe MG is fully overlapped with the SSBs of the target MO (i.e., all theSSBs of the target MO are located in the MG occasions), the UE performsthe inter-RAT measurement on this non-serving NR CC within MG regardlessof whether the active BWP on one NR serving CC can contain target SSB ofthis target MO or not.

In one embodiment of the second example scenario when the LTE MNconfigures inter-RAT MO with MG (or always with MG), if the MG ispartially overlapped with the SSBs of the target MO (i.e., some of theSSBs of the target MO are located in the MG occasions and others arelocated outside the MG occasions), the UE performs the inter-RATmeasurement on the non-serving NR CC within MG regardless of whether theactive BWP can contain target SSB of this target MO or not.

In another embodiment of the second example scenario when the LTE MNconfigures inter-RAT MO with MG (or always with MG), if the MG ispartially overlapped with the SSBs of the target MO, the network (e.g.,the LTE MN) sends an indication to the UE to either perform theinter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within MG or for the UEto determine whether or not to perform the inter-RAT measurement on thenon-serving NR CC within MG. If the indication from the network is forthe UE perform the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC withinMG, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CCwithin MG regardless of whether the active BWP on one NR serving CC cancontain target SSB of this target MO or not. If, however, the indicationfrom the network is for the UE to determine whether or not to performthe inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within MG, the UEperforms the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within MG ifthe target SSB of target MO is not within active BWP of any NR servingCC, and the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NRCC outside MG if the target SSB of target MO is inside the active BWP ofone NR serving CC.

In another embodiment of the second example scenario when the LTE MNconfigures inter-RAT MO with MG (or always with MG), the UE performs theinter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within MG if the targetSSB of target MO is not within active BWP of any NR serving CC, and theUE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC outsideMG if the target SSB of target MO is inside the active BWP of one NRserving CC.

In certain embodiments of the second example scenario, the networkavoids configuring the case where the MG is fully non-overlapped withthe SSBs of the target MO (i.e., none of the SSBs of the target MO arelocated in the MG occasions).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method 400 for a UE according to oneembodiment. The method 400 may be performed, for example, by a UE orcomponents of a UE (e.g., one or more baseband processors) describedherein. In block 402, the UE connects with a master node (MN) in anEvolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)-New Radio (NR) DualConnectivity (EN-DC) mode. In block 404, the UE processes a message fromthe MN to configure one or more inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT)measurement object (MO) on an NR serving component carrier (CC). Inblock 406, the UE determines whether the message configures the one ormore inter-RAT MO with or without a measurement gap (MG). In block 408,when the message configures the one or more inter-RAT MO on the NRserving CC with the MG, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement on theNR serving CC based on whether the MG is fully overlapped or partiallyoverlapped with synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of a target MO ofthe one or more inter-RAT MO. In block 410, when the message configuresthe one or more inter-RAT MO on the NR serving CC without the MG, the UEperforms the inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC based on whethera target SSB of the target MO is within or outside an active bandwidthpart (BWP) of the NR serving CC.

In one embodiment of the method 400, when the MG is fully overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the UE performs the inter-RATmeasurement on the NR serving CC within the MG regardless of whether ornot the active BWP contains the SSBs of the target MO.

In one embodiment of the method 400, when the MG is partially overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the UE performs the inter-RATmeasurement on the NR serving CC within the MG regardless of whether ornot the active BWP contains the target SSB of the target MO.

In one embodiment of the method 400, when the MG is partially overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the UE receives an indication from theMN for the UE to perform the inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CCwithin the MG, and in response to the indication, the UE performs theinter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC within the MG regardless ofwhether or not the active BWP contains the target SSB of the target MO.

In one embodiment of the method 400, when the MG is partially overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the UE receives an indication from theMN for the UE to determine whether to perform the inter-RAT measurementon the NR serving CC within the MG or outside the MG. In response to theindication, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the NR servingCC within the MG when the target SSB of the target MO is outside theactive BWP of the NR serving CC, and performs the inter-RAT measurementon the NR serving CC outside the MG when the target SSB of the target MOis inside the active BWP of the NR serving CC.

In one embodiment of the method 400, when the MG is partially overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the UE performs the inter-RATmeasurement on the NR serving CC within the MG when the target SSB ofthe target MO is outside the active BWP of the NR serving CC, and the UEperforms the inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC outside the MGwhen the target SSB of the target MO is inside the active BWP of the NRserving CC.

In one embodiment of the method 400, when the message configures the oneor more inter-RAT MO on the NR serving CC without the MG, and when thetarget SSB is within the active BWP of the NR serving CC, the UEdirectly performs the inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC.

In one embodiment of the method 400, when the message configures the oneor more inter-RAT MO on the NR serving CC without the MG, and when thetarget SSB is outside the active BWP of the NR serving CC, the UE sendsan indication to an E-UTRA primary cell (PCell) to request an MGconfiguration, the indication comprising an MO index corresponding tothe target MO to configure with the MG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method 500 for a UE according to oneembodiment. The method 500 may be performed, for example, by a UE orcomponents of a UE (e.g., one or more baseband processors) describedherein. In block 502, the UE connects with a master node (MN) in anEvolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)-New Radio (NR) DualConnectivity (EN-DC) mode. In block 504, the UE processes a message fromthe MN to configure one or more inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT)measurement object (MO) on a non-serving NR component carrier (CC) witha measurement gap (MG). In block 506, the UE determines whether the MGis fully overlapped or partially overlapped with synchronization signalblocks (SSBs) of a target MO of the one or more inter-RAT MO on thenon-serving NR CC. In block 508, the UE performs an inter-RATmeasurement on the non-serving NR CC based on whether the MG is fullyoverlapped or partially overlapped with the SSBs of the target MO.

In one embodiment of the method 500, when the MG is fully overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the UE performs the inter-RATmeasurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG regardless of whetheror not an active bandwidth part (BWP) on one NR serving CC contains theSSBs of the target MO.

In one embodiment of the method 500, when the MG is partially overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the UE performs the inter-RATmeasurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG regardless of whetheror not an active bandwidth part (BWP) contains a target SSB of thetarget MO.

In one embodiment of the method 500, when the MG is partially overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the UE receives an indication from theMN for the UE to perform the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NRCC within the MG. In response to the indication, the UE performs theinter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG regardlessof whether or not an active bandwidth part (BWP) on one NR serving CCcontains a target SSB of the target MO.

In one embodiment of the method 500, when the MG is partially overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the UE receives an indication from theMN for the UE to determine whether to perform the inter-RAT measurementon the non-serving NR CC within the MG or outside the MG. In response tothe indication, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on thenon-serving NR CC within the MG when a target SSB of the target MO isnot within an active bandwidth part (BWP) of any NR serving CC, and theUE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC outsidethe MG when the target SSB of the target MO is inside the active BWP ofone NR serving CC.

In one embodiment of the method 500, when the MG is partially overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the UE performs the inter-RATmeasurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG when a target SSB ofthe target MO is outside an active bandwidth part (BWP) of thenon-serving NR CC, and the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on thenon-serving NR CC outside the MG when the target SSB of the target MO isinside the active BWP of the non-serving NR CC.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of infrastructure equipment 600 inaccordance with various embodiments. The infrastructure equipment 600may be implemented as a base station, radio head, RAN node, AN,application server, and/or any other element/device discussed herein. Inother examples, the infrastructure equipment 600 could be implemented inor by a UE.

The infrastructure equipment 600 includes application circuitry 602,baseband circuitry 604, one or more radio front end module 606 (RFEM),memory circuitry 608, power management integrated circuitry (shown asPMIC 610), power tee circuitry 612, network controller circuitry 614,network interface connector 620, satellite positioning circuitry 616,and user interface circuitry 618. In some embodiments, the deviceinfrastructure equipment 600 may include additional elements such as,for example, memory/storage, display, camera, sensor, or input/output(I/O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described belowmay be included in more than one device. For example, said circuitriesmay be separately included in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU, orother like implementations. Application circuitry 602 includes circuitrysuch as, but not limited to one or more processors (or processor cores),cache memory, and one or more of low drop-out voltage regulators (LDOs),interrupt controllers, serial interfaces such as SPI, I²C or universalprogrammable serial interface module, real time clock (RTC),timer-counters including interval and watchdog timers, general purposeinput/output (I/O or IO), memory card controllers such as Secure Digital(SD) MultiMediaCard (MMC) or similar, Universal Serial Bus (USB)interfaces, Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interfaces andJoint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access ports. The processors (orcores) of the application circuitry 602 may be coupled with or mayinclude memory/storage elements and may be configured to executeinstructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applicationsor operating systems to run on the infrastructure equipment 600. In someimplementations, the memory/storage elements may be on-chip memorycircuitry, which may include any suitable volatile and/or non-volatilememory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash memory, solid-statememory, and/or any other type of memory device technology, such as thosediscussed herein.

The processor(s) of application circuitry 602 may include, for example,one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors,one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reducedinstruction set computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISCMachine (ARM) processors, one or more complex instruction set computing(CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSP), one ormore FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or moremicroprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. Insome embodiments, the application circuitry 602 may comprise, or may be,a special-purpose processor/controller to operate according to thevarious embodiments herein. As examples, the processor(s) of applicationcircuitry 602 may include one or more Intel Pentium®, Core®, or Xeon®processor(s); Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen® processor(s),Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), or Epyc® processors; ARM-basedprocessor(s) licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd. such as the ARM Cortex-Afamily of processors and the ThunderX2® provided by Cavium™, Inc.; aMIPS-based design from MIPS Technologies, Inc. such as MIPS WarriorP-class processors; and/or the like. In some embodiments, theinfrastructure equipment 600 may not utilize application circuitry 602,and instead may include a special-purpose processor/controller toprocess IP data received from an EPC or 5GC, for example.

In some implementations, the application circuitry 602 may include oneor more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors,programmable processing devices, or the like. The one or more hardwareaccelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and/or deeplearning (DL) accelerators. As examples, the programmable processingdevices may be one or more a field-programmable devices (FPDs) such asfield-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and the like; programmable logicdevices(PLDs) such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs),and the like; ASICs such as structured ASICs and the like; programmableSoCs (PSoCs); and the like. In such implementations, the circuitry ofapplication circuitry 602 may comprise logic blocks or logic fabric, andother interconnected resources that may be programmed to perform variousfunctions, such as the procedures, methods, functions, etc. of thevarious embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuitryof application circuitry 602 may include memory cells (e.g., erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory(e.g., static random access memory(SRAM), anti-fuses, etc.)) used tostore logic blocks, logic fabric, data, etc. in look-up-tables (LUTs)and the like. The baseband circuitry 604 may be implemented, forexample, as a solder-down substrate including one or more integratedcircuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a maincircuit board or a multi-chip module containing two or more integratedcircuits.

The user interface circuitry 618 may include one or more user interfacesdesigned to enable user interaction with the infrastructure equipment600 or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable peripheralcomponent interaction with the infrastructure equipment 600. Userinterfaces may include, but are not limited to, one or more physical orvirtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g.,light emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, atouchpad, a touchscreen, speakers or other audio emitting devices,microphones, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen ordisplay device, etc. Peripheral component interfaces may include, butare not limited to, a nonvolatile memory port, a universal serial bus(USB) port, an audio jack, a power supply interface, etc.

The radio front end module 606 may comprise a millimeter wave (mmWave)radio front end module (RFEM) and one or more sub-mmWave radio frequencyintegrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or moresub-mmWave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. TheRFICs may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays,and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In alternativeimplementations, both mmWave and sub-mmWave radio functions may beimplemented in the same physical radio front end module 606, whichincorporates both mmWave antennas and sub-mmWave.

The memory circuitry 608 may include one or more of volatile memoryincluding dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and/or synchronous dynamicrandom access memory (SDRAM), and nonvolatile memory (NVM) includinghigh-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as Flashmemory), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistiverandom access memory(MRAM), etc., and may incorporate thethree-dimensional (3D)cross-point (XPOINT) memories from Intel® andMicron®. The memory circuitry 608 may be implemented as one or more ofsolder down packaged integrated circuits, socketed memory modules andplug-in memory cards.

The PMIC 610 may include voltage regulators, surge protectors, poweralarm detection circuitry, and one or more backup power sources such asa battery or capacitor. The power alarm detection circuitry may detectone or more of brown out (under-voltage) and surge (over-voltage)conditions. The power tee circuitry 612 may provide for electrical powerdrawn from a network cable to provide both power supply and dataconnectivity to the infrastructure equipment 600 using a single cable.

The network controller circuitry 614 may provide connectivity to anetwork using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet,Ethernet over GRE Tunnels, Ethernet over Multiprotocol Label Switching(MPLS), or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may beprovided to/from the infrastructure equipment 600 via network interfaceconnector 620 using a physical connection, which may be electrical(commonly referred to as a “copper interconnect”), optical, or wireless.The network controller circuitry 614 may include one or more dedicatedprocessors and/or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of theaforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the networkcontroller circuitry 614 may include multiple controllers to provideconnectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

The positioning circuitry 616 includes circuitry to receive and decodesignals transmitted/broadcasted by a positioning network of a globalnavigation satellite system (GNSS). Examples of navigation satelliteconstellations (or GNSS) include United States' Global PositioningSystem (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the EuropeanUnion's Galileo System, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, aregional navigation system or GNSS augmentation system (e.g., Navigationwith Indian Constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System(QZSS), France's Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integratedby Satellite (DORIS), etc.), or the like. The positioning circuitry 616comprises various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devicessuch as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, and the like tofacilitate OTA communications) to communicate with components of apositioning network, such as navigation satellite constellation nodes.In some embodiments, the positioning circuitry 616 may include aMicro-Technology for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (Micro-PNT) ICthat uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking/estimationwithout GNSS assistance. The positioning circuitry 616 may also be partof, or interact with, the baseband circuitry 604 and/or radio front endmodule 606 to communicate with the nodes and components of thepositioning network. The positioning circuitry 616 may also provideposition data and/or time data to the application circuitry 602, whichmay use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure,or the like. The components shown by FIG. 6 may communicate with oneanother using interface circuitry, which may include any number of busand/or interconnect (IX) technologies such as industry standardarchitecture (ISA), extended ISA (EISA), peripheral componentinterconnect (PCI), peripheral component interconnect extended (PCix),PCI express (PCie), or any number of other technologies. The bus/IX maybe a proprietary bus, for example, used in a SoC based system. Otherbus/IX systems may be included, such as an I²C interface, an SPIinterface, point to point interfaces, and a power bus, among others.

FIG. 7 illustrates example components of a device 700 in accordance withsome embodiments. In some embodiments, the device 700 may includeapplication circuitry 706, baseband circuitry 704, Radio Frequency (RF)circuitry (shown as RF circuitry 702), front-end module (FEM) circuitry(shown as FEM circuitry 732), one or more antennas 730, and powermanagement circuitry (PMC) (shown as PMC 734) coupled together at leastas shown. The components of the illustrated device 700 may be includedin a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 700 may includefewer elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry706, and instead include a processor/controller to process IP datareceived from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device 700 may includeadditional elements such as, for example, memory/storage, display,camera, sensor, or input/output (I/O) interface. In other embodiments,the components described below may be included in more than one device(e.g., said circuitries may be separately included in more than onedevice for Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementations).

The application circuitry 706 may include one or more applicationprocessors. For example, the application circuitry 706 may includecircuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core ormulti-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination ofgeneral-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphicsprocessors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupledwith or may include memory/storage and may be configured to executeinstructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applicationsor operating systems to run on the device 700. In some embodiments,processors of application circuitry 706 may process IP data packetsreceived from an EPC.

The baseband circuitry 704 may include circuitry such as, but notlimited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Thebaseband circuitry 704 may include one or more baseband processors orcontrol logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signalpath of the RF circuitry 702 and to generate baseband signals for atransmit signal path of the RF circuitry 702. The baseband circuitry 704may interface with the application circuitry 706 for generation andprocessing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of theRF circuitry 702. For example, in some embodiments, the basebandcircuitry 704 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor (3Gbaseband processor 708), a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor (4Gbaseband processor 710), a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor (5Gbaseband processor 712), or other baseband processor(s) 714 for otherexisting generations, generations in development or to be developed inthe future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.).The baseband circuitry 704 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors)may handle various radio control functions that enable communicationwith one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 702. In otherembodiments, some or all of the functionality of the illustratedbaseband processors may be included in modules stored in the memory 720and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU 716). The radio controlfunctions may include, but are not limited to, signalmodulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting,etc. In some embodiments, modulation/demodulation circuitry of thebaseband circuitry 704 may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT),precoding, or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In someembodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 704may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or LowDensity Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodimentsof modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functionality are notlimited to these examples and may include other suitable functionalityin other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 may include a digitalsignal processor (DSP), such as one or more audio DSP(s) 718. The one ormore audio DSP(s) 718 may include elements for compression/decompressionand echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elementsin other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may besuitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on asame circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or allof the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 704 and theapplication circuitry 706 may be implemented together such as, forexample, on a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 may provide forcommunication compatible with one or more radio technologies. Forexample, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 may supportcommunication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network(EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN), or a wireless personal area network (WPAN).Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 704 is configured to supportradio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referredto as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

The RF circuitry 702 may enable communication with wireless networksusing modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. Invarious embodiments, the RF circuitry 702 may include switches, filters,amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wirelessnetwork. The RF circuitry 702 may include a receive signal path whichmay include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEMcircuitry 732 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry704. The RF circuitry 702 may also include a transmit signal path whichmay include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by thebaseband circuitry 704 and provide RF output signals to the FEMcircuitry 732 for transmission.

In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 702 mayinclude mixer circuitry 722, amplifier circuitry 724 and filtercircuitry 726. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RFcircuitry 702 may include filter circuitry 726 and mixer circuitry 722.The RF circuitry 702 may also include synthesizer circuitry 728 forsynthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 722 of thereceive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments,the mixer circuitry 722 of the receive signal path may be configured todown-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 732 based on thesynthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 728. Theamplifier circuitry 724 may be configured to amplify the down-convertedsignals and the filter circuitry 726 may be a low-pass filter (LPF) orband-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from thedown-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Outputbaseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry 704 forfurther processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals maybe zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement.In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 722 of the receive signal pathmay comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments isnot limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 722 of the transmit signal pathmay be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on thesynthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 728 togenerate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 732. The basebandsignals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 704 and may befiltered by the filter circuitry 726.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 722 of the receive signal pathand the mixer circuitry 722 of the transmit signal path may include twoor more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion andupconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 722of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 722 of the transmitsignal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for imagerejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, themixer circuitry 722 of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry722 may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion,respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 722 of thereceive signal path and the mixer circuitry 722 of the transmit signalpath may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input basebandsignals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of theembodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternateembodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signalsmay be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RFcircuitry 702 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) anddigital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry704 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RFcircuitry 702.

In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may beprovided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope ofthe embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 728 may be a fractional-Nsynthesizer or a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of theembodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequencysynthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 728 maybe a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizercomprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

The synthesizer circuitry 728 may be configured to synthesize an outputfrequency for use by the mixer circuitry 722 of the RF circuitry 702based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In someembodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 728 may be a fractional N/N+1synthesizer.

In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltagecontrolled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. Dividercontrol input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 704 orthe application circuitry 706 (such as an applications processor)depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, adivider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up tablebased on a channel indicated by the application circuitry 706.

Synthesizer circuitry 728 of the RF circuitry 702 may include a divider,a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. Insome embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) andthe phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In someembodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal byeither N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractionaldivision ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a setof cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pumpand a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may beconfigured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase,where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way,the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delaythrough the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 728 may be configured togenerate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in otherembodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrierfrequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrierfrequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and dividercircuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency withmultiple different phases with respect to each other. In someembodiments, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (fLO). In someembodiments, the RF circuitry 702 may include an IQ/polar converter.

The FEM circuitry 732 may include a receive signal path which mayinclude circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from oneor more antennas 730, amplify the received signals and provide theamplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 702 forfurther processing. The FEM circuitry 732 may also include a transmitsignal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signalsfor transmission provided by the RF circuitry 702 for transmission byone or more of the one or more antennas 730. In various embodiments, theamplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be donesolely in the RF circuitry 702, solely in the FEM circuitry 732, or inboth the RF circuitry 702 and the FEM circuitry 732.

In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 732 may include a TX/RX switch toswitch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEMcircuitry 732 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signalpath. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 732 may include anLNA to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RFsignals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 702). The transmitsignal path of the FEM circuitry 732 may include a power amplifier (PA)to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by the RF circuitry 702),and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequenttransmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 730).

In some embodiments, the PMC 734 may manage power provided to thebaseband circuitry 704. In particular, the PMC 734 may controlpower-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DCconversion. The PMC 734 may often be included when the device 700 iscapable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device 700is included in a UE. The PMC 734 may increase the power conversionefficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heatdissipation characteristics.

FIG. 7 shows the PMC 734 coupled only with the baseband circuitry 704.However, in other embodiments, the PMC 734 may be additionally oralternatively coupled with, and perform similar power managementoperations for, other components such as, but not limited to, theapplication circuitry 706, the RF circuitry 702, or the FEM circuitry732.

In some embodiments, the PMC 734 may control, or otherwise be part of,various power saving mechanisms of the device 700. For example, if thedevice 700 is in an RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected tothe RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may entera state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period ofinactivity. During this state, the device 700 may power down for briefintervals of time and thus save power.

If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time,then the device 700 may transition off to an RRC_Idle state, where itdisconnects from the network and does not perform operations such aschannel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 700 goes into a verylow power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakesup to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 700may not receive data in this state, and in order to receive data, ittransitions back to an RRC_Connected state.

An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be unavailable tothe network for periods longer than a paging interval (ranging fromseconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is totallyunreachable to the network and may power down completely. Any data sentduring this time incurs a large delay and it is assumed the delay isacceptable.

Processors of the application circuitry 706 and processors of thebaseband circuitry 704 may be used to execute elements of one or moreinstances of a protocol stack. For example, processors of the basebandcircuitry 704, alone or in combination, may be used to execute Layer 3,Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality, while processors of the applicationcircuitry 706 may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from theselayers and further execute Layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmissioncommunication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers).As referred to herein, Layer 3 may comprise a radio resource control(RRC) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein,Layer 2 may comprise a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio linkcontrol (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP)layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 1may comprise a physical (PHY) layer of a UE/RAN node, described infurther detail below.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating components 800, according to someexample embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readableor computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readablestorage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein. Specifically, FIG. 8 shows a diagrammaticrepresentation of hardware resources 802 including one or moreprocessors 806 (or processor cores), one or more memory/storage devices814, and one or more communication resources 824, each of which may becommunicatively coupled via a bus 816. For embodiments where nodevirtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 822 may be executedto provide an execution environment for one or more networkslices/sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 802.

The processors 806 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reducedinstruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction setcomputing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digitalsignal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit(RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) mayinclude, for example, a processor 808 and a processor 810.

The memory/storage devices 814 may include main memory, disk storage, orany suitable combination thereof. The memory/storage devices 814 mayinclude, but are not limited to any type of volatile or non-volatilememory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random-accessmemory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flashmemory, solid-state storage, etc.

The communication resources 824 may include interconnection or networkinterface components or other suitable devices to communicate with oneor more peripheral devices 804 or one or more databases 820 via anetwork 818. For example, the communication resources 824 may includewired communication components (e.g., for coupling via a UniversalSerial Bus (USB)), cellular communication components, NFC components,Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components,and other communication components.

Instructions 812 may comprise software, a program, an application, anapplet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least any of theprocessors 806 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussedherein. The instructions 812 may reside, completely or partially, withinat least one of the processors 806 (e.g., within the processor's cachememory), the memory/storage devices 814, or any suitable combinationthereof. Furthermore, any portion of the instructions 812 may betransferred to the hardware resources 802 from any combination of theperipheral devices 804 or the databases 820. Accordingly, the memory ofthe processors 806, the memory/storage devices 814, the peripheraldevices 804, and the databases 820 are examples of computer-readable andmachine-readable media.

For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth inone or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one ormore operations, techniques, processes, and/or methods as set forth inthe Example Section below. For example, the baseband circuitry asdescribed above in connection with one or more of the preceding figuresmay be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of theexamples set forth below. For another example, circuitry associated witha UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above inconnection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configuredto operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forthbelow in the example section.

The following examples pertain to further embodiments.

Example 1 may include an apparatus comprising means to perform one ormore elements of a method described in or related to any of the aboveembodiments, or any other method or process described herein.

Example 2 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediacomprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution ofthe instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, toperform one or more elements of a method described in or related to anyof the above embodiments, or any other method or process describedherein.

Example 3 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, orcircuitry to perform one or more elements of a method described in orrelated to any of the above embodiments, or any other method or processdescribed herein.

Example 4 may include a method, technique, or process as described in orrelated to any of the above embodiments, or portions or parts thereof.

Example 5 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processorsand one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that,when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or moreprocessors to perform the method, techniques, or process as described inor related to any of the above embodiments, or portions thereof.

Example 6 may include a signal as described in or related to any of theabove embodiments, or portions or parts thereof.

Example 7 may include a datagram, packet, frame, segment, protocol dataunit (PDU), or message as described in or related to any of the aboveembodiments, or portions or parts thereof, or otherwise described in thepresent disclosure.

Example 8 may include a signal encoded with data as described in orrelated to any of the above embodiments, or portions or parts thereof,or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

Example 9 may include a signal encoded with a datagram, packet, frame,segment, PDU, or message as described in or related to any of the aboveembodiments, or portions or parts thereof, or otherwise described in thepresent disclosure.

Example 10 may include an electromagnetic signal carryingcomputer-readable instructions, wherein execution of thecomputer-readable instructions by one or more processors is to cause theone or more processors to perform the method, techniques, or process asdescribed in or related to any of the above embodiments, or portionsthereof.

Example 11 may include a computer program comprising instructions,wherein execution of the program by a processing element is to cause theprocessing element to carry out the method, techniques, or process asdescribed in or related to any of the above embodiments, or portionsthereof.

Example 12 may include a signal in a wireless network as shown anddescribed herein.

Example 13 may include a method of communicating in a wireless networkas shown and described herein.

Example 14 may include a system for providing wireless communication asshown and described herein.

Example 15 may include a device for providing wireless communication asshown and described herein.

Any of the above described examples may be combined with any otherexample (or combination of examples), unless explicitly statedotherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementationsprovides illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise formdisclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods describedherein may include various operations, which may be embodied inmachine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. Acomputer system may include one or more general-purpose orspecial-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computersystem may include hardware components that include specific logic forperforming the operations or may include a combination of hardware,software, and/or firmware.

It should be recognized that the systems described herein includedescriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments can be combinedinto single systems, partially combined into other systems, split intomultiple systems or divided or combined in other ways. In addition, itis contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of oneembodiment can be used in another embodiment. The parameters,attributes, aspects, etc. are merely described in one or moreembodiments for clarity, and it is recognized that the parameters,attributes, aspects, etc. can be combined with or substituted forparameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unlessspecifically disclaimed herein.

It is well understood that the use of personally identifiableinformation should follow privacy policies and practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular,personally identifiable information data should be managed and handledso as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use,and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes ofclarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the principles thereof. It should benoted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both theprocesses and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the presentembodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, andthe description is not to be limited to the details given herein, butmay be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includinginstructions that, when executed by a processor of a network device,cause the processor to: process a request, from a user equipment (UE),to configure a measurement gap (MG); and in response to the request,configure the UE with one or more inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT)measurement object (MO) on a non-serving NR component carrier (CC) withthe MG, wherein the MG is fully overlapped or partially overlapped withsynchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of a target MO of the one or moreinter-RAT MO on the non-serving NR CC.
 2. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the requestincludes an MO index corresponding to the inter-RAT MO for which the MGis requested.
 3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to avoidconfiguring the UE with the MG when the MG is fully non-overlapped withthe SSBs of the target MO.
 4. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 1, wherein when the MG is partially overlappedwith the SSBs of the target MO, the instructions further cause theprocessor to send an indication to the UE, wherein the indicationinstructs the UE to perform an inter-RAT measurement on the NR servingCC within the MG regardless of whether an active bandwidth part (BWP)contains a target SSB of the target MO or not.
 5. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein when the MG ispartially overlapped with the SSBs of the target MO, the instructionsfurther cause the processor to send an indication to the UE, wherein theindication instructs the UE to determine whether to perform theinter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG or outsidethe MG.
 6. An apparatus of a network device, comprising: a memory tostore a request, from a user equipment (UE), to configure a measurementgap (MG); and one or more processors configured to, in response to therequest, configure the UE with one or more inter-Radio Access Technology(RAT) measurement object (MO) on a non-serving NR component carrier (CC)with the MG, wherein the MG is fully overlapped or partially overlappedwith synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of a target MO of the one ormore inter-RAT MO on the non-serving NR CC.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6,wherein the request includes an MO index corresponding to the inter-RATMO for which the MG is requested.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6, whereinthe one or more processors are further configured to avoid configuringthe UE with the MG when the MG is fully non-overlapped with the SSBs ofthe target MO.
 9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein when the MG ispartially overlapped with the SSBs of the target MO, the one or moreprocessors are further configured to send an indication to the UE,wherein the indication instructs the UE to perform an inter-RATmeasurement on the NR serving CC within the MG regardless of whether anactive bandwidth part (BWP) contains a target SSB of the target MO ornot.
 10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein when the MG is partiallyoverlapped with the SSBs of the target MO, the one or more processorsare further configured to send an indication to the UE, wherein theindication instructs the UE to determine whether to perform theinter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG or outsidethe MG.
 11. A method for a network device, the method comprising:processing a request, from a user equipment (UE), to configure ameasurement gap (MG); and in response to the request, configuring the UEwith one or more inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) measurement object(MO) on a non-serving NR component carrier (CC) with the MG, wherein theMG is fully overlapped or partially overlapped with synchronizationsignal blocks (SSBs) of a target MO of the one or more inter-RAT MO onthe non-serving NR CC.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the requestincludes an MO index corresponding to the inter-RAT MO for which the MGis requested.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising avoidingconfiguring the UE with the MG when the MG is fully non-overlapped withthe SSBs of the target MO.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein when theMG is partially overlapped with the SSBs of the target MO, the methodfurther comprises sending an indication to the UE, wherein theindication instructs the UE to perform an inter-RAT measurement on theNR serving CC within the MG regardless of whether an active bandwidthpart (BWP) contains a target SSB of the target MO or not.
 15. The methodof claim 11, wherein when the MG is partially overlapped with the SSBsof the target MO, the method further comprises sending an indication tothe UE, wherein the indication instructs the UE to determine whether toperform the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MGor outside the MG.